Unión lose again to Instituto, remain near the bottom | OneFootball

Unión had a very good first half, with moments of high collective level and effectiveness from the perimeter, but Gloria adjusted their defense after the break, leveled the proceedings, and ended up tipping the balance in an intense and physical game.

Unión 80-87 Instituto

The game started with Unión trying to impose their play through the pick and roll, taking advantage of Balbi's intelligence and creativity, who used all his resources to create spaces and quick shots. In the first minutes, the Balbi-Guerra duo shared the points and led the home team to a solid start, with quick possessions and a lot of movement in the paint.

The good start by the Santa Fe team led to the first timeout requested by Instituto's coach, with the scoreboard showing 17 to 9 in favor of Unión. This dominance continued until the end of the first quarter: Unión, with good rotation and finding good performance from the bench, managed to maintain the lead and close ahead by 27 to 16.

The second quarter began with a more organized Instituto, where Whelan started to create imbalance in one-on-one situations, while Copello contributed with scoring, leading a 13 to 5 run that forced Castellazzi to call a timeout. From there, Instituto strengthened their defense, and Unión struggled with their offenses. Forced to attack five-on-five and without fluidity, the home team suffered from each quick transition by the Córdoba team.

The reaction came with a long three-pointer from Cabrera, providing the usual spark from the Córdoba guard, and the finish was excellent: Federico Elías nailed an exquisite three-pointer (3 of 4) to seal the 46 to 39 with which Unión went to the break.

The second half started with a lot of contact, tight marking, and a physical game that quickly loaded both teams' backcourts with fouls. Copello appeared with two consecutive three-pointers to put Instituto ahead, but Elías responded immediately, and both teams took turns leading. The game remained close until the end of the third quarter, with Instituto ahead 61 to 60.

The last period began with the same parity. Hill scored a three-pointer for Instituto, and Cabrera's response was immediate. The first clear advantage came for the visitors with an inspired Monacchi, who nailed two decisive bombs to take a six-point lead. Unión responded with a three-pointer from Hure, but in the next play, Whelan scored again from the perimeter and then had to leave the game due to five fouls.

A few minutes from the end, Instituto was winning 80 to 76, managing the lead and controlling the final actions of the game. The finish, as it could not be otherwise, was in the hands of Monacchi: with 20 points and 7 rebounds, he scored a dagger from the corner that sealed the final 80 to 87 in favor of the visitors, leaving Unión with a sense of disappointment after a promising first half.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.